The new Codex of Aihrde is deep in the rewrite, complete with refreshed content, racial classes and more. We are now opening it up to pre-order. Check out the bundles on the Pre-Order page.

This being an account of the Days before Days and the creation of the world . . . ."

The Codex of Aihrde is a tapestry that relates the story of a world; it renders the legendary struggles of gods and monsters; it unveils the mysteries of the worlds unseen; it weaves the story of kings and their realms, both great and small and the world's terrain that they walk through; but more than all this the Codex is a tapestry that sets forth the struggles of men and dwarves and elves, and all the myriad peoples that pass through its history, it is an Epic Tale rendered incomplete, waiting only for those that come after to finish its story.

The Codex of Aihrde contains everything the Caslte Keeper and Player need to plunge into this world of fantastic adventure.

A World Reborn
Within this tome lies a complete history of the world, from its conception by the All Father to its birth upon the landscape of the Void. The history is complete with mythos of the gods, their origins and their interactions with all the denizens, great and small, that dwell in Aihrde. Tracing its course through the long Dwarven centuries, to the Goblin-Dwarf wars, the rise of man, the origins of Elves and Halflings, Orcs and Trolls. The history is complete with fresh mythos and new stories.

Set apart from other settings The World of Aihrde is a world freshly reborn. A long melinnia of Winter's Dark had ended and the kingdroms that rise from its ashes are yours for the taking, to form and shape as fits your campaign and gaming style. Aihrde is truly a world designed for the gamer who strives to make their own mark at the table.

Fodder for the Field of Play
Aihrde is a world complete with legendary mythis surrounding the gods, and those who pass within their shadows. And though the whole world is carefully mapped, the material focuses upon the Lands of Ursal where the greatest kingdoms vie for power. Here are carefully outline realms and territories; careful attention is given to their government, present leaders, economic strengths and all tied to its place in the tapestry of the world. A unique approach is given the CK and players as each country comes with its own mythos and tales, enough fodder to give any imaginative gamer a head start on spinning their own yarns.

Maps
The Codex comes complete with full color maps of the Lands of Ursal as well as the world itself.

The C&C Approach
Airhde is fresh, with little in the way of long standing customs to force a CK into one particular milieu, in fact the opposite is true. The CK is given only enough material to serve as a guidepost for creation and gaming. Though he does not have to create whole new regions, countries and states, as that is all there, but he can easily change what he wants to his own direction, to fit his own needs or to establish his own mood.

This is one of the great strengths of this setting and has played into its continued support from consumers for over a decade. The setting is easy to tailor to almost any style, genre, or type of game.

Its history sets Aihrde apart. Its depth and its coherent interaction with its mythos gives Aihrde the advantage over many other settings. A Ck can run a dragon that is a thousand years old and easily reference where that dragon was in time when it was born. This makes story telling so much easier, believable and fun. It allows for a greater suspension of disbelief. Knowing the past in role playing games is every bit as valuable as it is in the real world. Many settings have a history, or a mythos. But few ground their setting in the depths that the Codex does.

Author: Stephen Chenault
Cover Art: David Kovacs

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

1.) CASEOUND maps of Airhde. So, are these new maps or the world maps released in 2011? And by casebound, does this mean that if these maps are the 2011 World of Aihrde maps, will each 9 pieces be mounted on chipboard like the Landscape CK screens?

Exactly. For the 100 and 150 dollar deals all 18 maps will be casewrapped on 90pt chip board and made as stout as the CK screens.

2.) Are the new Aihrdian Specific landscape CK screens going to have different artwork on the player's side?

Yes! Its going to be BAD ASS! Think Valkeries!

3.) Aihrdian pencils?

AWESOME TIME PENCILS. haha Yeah, we'll have pencils with logos on them.

I'm pumped about this project.

I love this book.

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

Thanks BLOOP!, uh, I mean Steve. Wow, that is some pretty fancy schtuff. At first I was like WTF on the casebound maps. I've been thinking about them more and more today, and now I am officially on board as jazzed. The casebound landscape screens turned out so awesome, that now I think the maps will look pretty dange cool on them, with one caveat; please don't let the map details run to the sides or underside of the chipboard. Arranging the casebound maps on the game table is going to be pretty cool with the thick, hard backs.

Another bit of good news is that the CK AIHRDE SCREENS are going to be a bit different than the standard C&C screens. That is definitely cool.

So you're expecting this around mid-May? (Tuesday the 15th of May, 2012 was the date I saw when I clicked on one of the pre-order options)

One question was how long is the pre-order up for? I'm interested and there is something for everyone who is remotely interested here but with bills to pay and other recent pre-orders, I just want to know how long I've got before I miss the boat on this.

MormonYoYoMan wrote:Y'know, I was just about to swear off any more pre-orders until some of the pre-order stuff starting showing up in my poor neglected mailbox. And then you throw all this temptation at me!

I can resist anything except temptation.

If i had more smilies...if only I had more smilies! hahaah

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

Omote wrote:Thanks BLOOP!, uh, I mean Steve. Wow, that is some pretty fancy schtuff. At first I was like WTF on the casebound maps. I've been thinking about them more and more today, and now I am officially on board as jazzed. The casebound landscape screens turned out so awesome, that now I think the maps will look pretty dange cool on them, with one caveat; please don't let the map details run to the sides or underside of the chipboard. Arranging the casebound maps on the game table is going to be pretty cool with the thick, hard backs.

Another bit of good news is that the CK AIHRDE SCREENS are going to be a bit different than the standard C&C screens. That is definitely cool.

~O

I'm really jazzed about the screens. In theory Peter is doing the a landscape of the Battle of Olensk. Below is the UNEDITED version from the original Codex.

Olensk

Upon the 4th of Trocken, 1029md, King Albrecht, the River King, marshaled the whole of the flower of Augsberg, with Dwarves from Grundliche Hohle and mercenaries from the north. They clashed with two of the dark god Unklar’s Imperial Legions, commanded by the Duke Kain, near the village of Olensk. The armies drew up upon the gently rolling snow covered downs in the early morning hours. Albrecht’s 9000 footmen, 4500 horse, 3000 dwarves and 4500 mercenaries were arrayed in a tight battle line, with the Dwarves under the Hero Oxleigh in reserve. Before him Kain commanded two Legions, the 11th and 33rd, about 27,000 men. The Imperial Legions were set in two great squares with light troops of skirmishers on their flanks. They stood thus for several hours, neither one willing to commit, but by mid-morning Kain grew impatient, unleashing the fury of Unklar’s folk upon Albrecht.

Kain hurled the orcs of the 33rd against Albrecht’s right flank. They soon broke through and ran headlong into the Dwarves. A gory contest of arms ensued. The Dwarves refused to yield against the overwhelming numbers. Here the orcs and dwarves wrestled and the bleeding of both armies began. For Kain used the orcs, not sparring their numbers. Albrecht’s Royal Levies were drawn from the center and his mercenary horses were committed by days end. But these proved too few and too late and the Dwarves were at last driven back and with them the Royal Levies overwhelmed. By mid-afternoon the right flank collapsed. The orcs slaughtered the Dwarven wounded who lay behind their lines.

For the whole day the battle raged, the loss of life, immeasurable. But on the left the battle turned, the whole of Augsberg’s cavalry charged, striking the lines of the 11th with a deafening impact and in a very short while the 11th legion was almost wholly overwhelmed. Their leader, the Sanjak Hamid, fell, grievously wounded. But too, Albrecht’s youngest son, Frederick, was killed when an orc lance struck his breast. The heavily armored knights broke through the shattered legion.

The Dwarves, driven back, the Royal Levies slaughtered and the whole command in doubt, the army tittered on the brink of destruction. Not until the Dwarf Lord Oxleigh, Chief Lieutenant and Heir of Dolgan fell, did the tide turn. The Dwarves were driven into a frenzy and counterattacked, some 800 grouping together hurled themselves against the thousands of orcs who remained. The Dwarves fell, but their blood and honor blunted the orc charge. Not far from this melee the King’s First Born, Albrecht II, cut off by the orcs, fell amidst a heap of bodies. And about his corpse his guard gathered, a mass of blood and flesh waging a merciless war, but they too were overwhelmed and destroyed.

Into this fray came the greatest of Kain’s Captains, Korak. He shattered Albrecht’s center and cut off the retreat of the Dwarves and the others from the right. The battle raged insanely around the village of Olensk. Korak himself drew up in the confused melee, the Dwarves in their lust to slay orcs, unknowingly cut him off, and the Vikings under young Fyorgyn, brought over from the left, hammered him. They carried his head to the halls of the dead. So fell Kain’s second in command. With this the army became disheartened and for a moment stood confused and in doubt. Then the other of Kain’s servants rallied them. There proved to be precious little time to regroup for into the melee the knights from the left flank, with Albrecht at their head, came about and plunged into the rear of Kain’s battle line. Here the orc leader Arcoz was cut down and killed.

Kain’s host staggered about, thrown into consternation. Leaderless they attacked in fitful groups about the field. Albrecht’s knights rode to and fro crushing the foe until a chance blow from a great axe brought down Albrecht. He fell, wounded and bleeding. For a moment the battle hung in the balance, but the orc losses proved too great and they were without leaders on the field, they reeled and at last they began to flee. Albrecht’s horse regrouped once more and pressed the retreating orcs. Across the bloody fields and rivers the orcs fled to there master, Kain. In the waning hours of the afternoon he rallied them and grouped them in troops of several thousand. They were brought into line in time to hear the rising tumult of the River King’s folk. Albrecht’s horse charged, led by his third son, Franz Conrad, thrice wounded. There rode the flower of Augsberg, all that remained of Albrecht’s army. Against this, Kain’s legionnaries fell like wheat to the scythe and the great part of them slaughtered in moments. Some unknown hero cut Kain’s steed from under him and horribly wounded that grim captain. But he rallied his guard and fled the field to haunt other pastures and other places. The grim business of slaughter carried on into the night and the following day.

Albrecht pardoned no one and ordered all the prisoners slain and thrown in the river, so that the death toll of Imperial Troops ranged well above 21,000 men and orc, the rest having fled into the hinterlands. Two Legions were extinguished in their entirety. And the Dwarves too exacted a horrible revenge on all the orcs and goblins who lived. But their losses were great and their master dead, fully 1600 Dwarves died and ‘went to Stone.’ Throughout the night and following day their moans carried far and wide and they tore at their beards. In their grief they vowed to clip their beards, to burn a bald spot on their chins in memory of their fallen comrades, and they were called ever after the Bartigtot, the Deadbeards. But Albrecht’s losses were great too, along with two of his sons, including his heir, 3400 of his troops died, a further 6000 were horribly wounded, thus, leaving the valiant King a bare 3000 able bodied warriors to guard his realm.

The battle will be replete with Valkyries harvesting the dead. He and I had a long talk about the horses of the Valkyries, whether winged or not.

I'm jazzed about this!

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

moriarty777 wrote:So you're expecting this around mid-May? (Tuesday the 15th of May, 2012 was the date I saw when I clicked on one of the pre-order options)

One question was how long is the pre-order up for? I'm interested and there is something for everyone who is remotely interested here but with bills to pay and other recent pre-orders, I just want to know how long I've got before I miss the boat on this.

Thanks,

M

I've actually decided to open up the pre-orders a little longer than the 30 days or so we've done on the past few. There is no reason not to do this really, its makes it easier on everyone.

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

Well, even with my new job, I can't afford a preorder (at least not until after the tax man sends me a good check and then I get other checks out).

However, I HAVE to have this book! Just for the "new racial classes are presented in the World of Aihrde, dwarf, elf a form and halfling" I would buy it. Add all the other background goodness ... again I HAVE to have it!

"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Came this close -> <- to buying at the $75 level, to get the screen I'd eventually buy anyway, but thought I'd spare the world my idea of what places and NPCs should end up in the Codex. I hope others will show similar restraint, or at least good taste .

Aergraith wrote:Came this close -> <- to buying at the $75 level, to get the screen I'd eventually buy anyway, but thought I'd spare the world my idea of what places and NPCs should end up in the Codex. I hope others will show similar restraint, or at least good taste .

My decision is now $40, $50 and $75.

The $75 one I find intriguing. Not because you can name stuff, but the case bound maps. They would stay on the table much better than the paper ones. I also would like to use the pieces, individually, to show the known world as the character knows them. Then whatever way they travel, I just add a piece to expand that part of the world they now know.

The special Airdhe screens sound good to.

My only question is this passage.

And the Lord is given a small swath of land to people with unique places, items and or NPCs to be included in the official Codex of Aihrde (subject to approval).

Does this mean that you can add a unique place, item and a NPC? (Pretty much saying it is your choice if you wish to either add a NPC, but you don't have to if you don't want.)

Or, does it mean you can add a unique place and either a item or a NPC? (This pretty much your restricted to chose either an item or an NPC but not both.)

I think it means you can add a unique place, a item, and a NPC. But, if you'd rather replace the NPC with another item (Making it two items instead of one.) you can do so. Am I right?

For your approval I'd use my NPC slot to introduce a traveling salesman, that is a cleric (Which nobody knows.) that I played, as a character, (Some what shady character) back in the 90's. He is human and his three Primes would be, Wisdom, Charisma and Intelligence.

I'd like to introduce: Barnabus P. Molecramp. (The "P" changes to whatever is deemed appropriate and positive to whoever he is in contact with. "My middle name means POWERFUL!, "My middle name means "POLITE!", My middle name means, "PERCEPTIVE!", etc.)

Barnabus: "You are in luck! My middle name is polite! Let me handle talking to the princess."

Sir Ironside wrote:
Does this mean that you can add a unique place, item and a NPC? (Pretty much saying it is your choice if you wish to either add a NPC, but you don't have to if you don't want.)

Well, from my experience translating trollspeak, it sounds as though you can have either or both. So you can do both if you want, or you can just have one or the other.

"The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout, 'Save us!' And I'll look down, and whisper 'No.' " ~Rorschach

Aergraith wrote:Came this close -> <- to buying at the $75 level, to get the screen I'd eventually buy anyway, but thought I'd spare the world my idea of what places and NPCs should end up in the Codex. I hope others will show similar restraint, or at least good taste .

There will be no NPCs named Sir Angry Pants!

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

Omote wrote:Thanks BLOOP!, uh, I mean Steve. Wow, that is some pretty fancy schtuff. At first I was like WTF on the casebound maps. I've been thinking about them more and more today, and now I am officially on board as jazzed. The casebound landscape screens turned out so awesome, that now I think the maps will look pretty dange cool on them, with one caveat; please don't let the map details run to the sides or underside of the chipboard. Arranging the casebound maps on the game table is going to be pretty cool with the thick, hard backs.

Another bit of good news is that the CK AIHRDE SCREENS are going to be a bit different than the standard C&C screens. That is definitely cool.

~O

Concerning the casebound maps, yes. That is going to be tricky. We'll look at the various options, as I would like them to be able to lay side by side, without the white border. The good news is, concerning this problem, is that its Davis's problem. And though he's cut off three fingers and looks like a hell-bound grape fruit crushed by a turtle stomp he's got alot of dwarf in him and is very precise when it comes to such.

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

Aergraith wrote:Came this close -> <- to buying at the $75 level, to get the screen I'd eventually buy anyway, but thought I'd spare the world my idea of what places and NPCs should end up in the Codex. I hope others will show similar restraint, or at least good taste .

My decision is now $40, $50 and $75.

The $75 one I find intriguing. Not because you can name stuff, but the case bound maps. They would stay on the table much better than the paper ones. I also would like to use the pieces, individually, to show the known world as the character knows them. Then whatever way they travel, I just add a piece to expand that part of the world they now know.

The special Airdhe screens sound good to.

My only question is this passage.

And the Lord is given a small swath of land to people with unique places, items and or NPCs to be included in the official Codex of Aihrde (subject to approval).

Does this mean that you can add a unique place, item and a NPC? (Pretty much saying it is your choice if you wish to either add a NPC, but you don't have to if you don't want.)

Or, does it mean you can add a unique place and either a item or a NPC? (This pretty much your restricted to chose either an item or an NPC but not both.)

I think it means you can add a unique place, a item, and a NPC. But, if you'd rather replace the NPC with another item (Making it two items instead of one.) you can do so. Am I right?

For your approval I'd use my NPC slot to introduce a traveling salesman, that is a cleric (Which nobody knows.) that I played, as a character, (Some what shady character) back in the 90's. He is human and his three Primes would be, Wisdom, Charisma and Intelligence.

I'd like to introduce: Barnabus P. Molecramp. (The "P" changes to whatever is deemed appropriate and positive to whoever he is in contact with. "My middle name means POWERFUL!, "My middle name means "POLITE!", My middle name means, "PERCEPTIVE!", etc.)

Barnabus: "You are in luck! My middle name is polite! Let me handle talking to the princess."

You can flesh out the whole area with a combination of the above, or just a few of the things.

And that is a cool NPC! Yes and approved!

Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

That reminds me of running games with Todd's favorite character, Luther. He had this cleric in his royal entourage named Ban Benwick. He was rather obese and something of an inventor. After awhile I discovered that I could quite annoy Todd with Benwick's inventions...things such as the hot air baloon and later a bicycle. Todd was unamused.

Steve

Sometimes I think most of my CKing is to annoy Todd or Davis.

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

I haven't had the opportunity to do any of the kickstarter's for C&C until now, so I went all out for the $150 package. The idea of getting to include my own swath of land in the setting is way cool, plus I'm stoked about the maps, screen and the customized journal. Really looking forward to this.

Pilgrim wrote:I haven't had the opportunity to do any of the kickstarter's for C&C until now, so I went all out for the $150 package. The idea of getting to include my own swath of land in the setting is way cool, plus I'm stoked about the maps, screen and the customized journal. Really looking forward to this.

Btw, will you guys contact us when you're ready for submissions?

Actually after reading this post I realized that you all need time to work on your entries as well and we'll need time to read over it for continuity etc. So I've set up an email for this purpose and any other direct corrections.

Contact us at codexofaihrde AT trolllord.com and we can start discussing the wheres and how tos.

The book is making fast progress so we probably do need to jump on this.

Thanks!
Steve

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

Pilgrim wrote:I haven't had the opportunity to do any of the kickstarter's for C&C until now, so I went all out for the $150 package. The idea of getting to include my own swath of land in the setting is way cool, plus I'm stoked about the maps, screen and the customized journal. Really looking forward to this.

Btw, will you guys contact us when you're ready for submissions?

Actually after reading this post I realized that you all need time to work on your entries as well and we'll need time to read over it for continuity etc. So I've set up an email for this purpose and any other direct corrections.

Contact us at codexofaihrde AT trolllord.com and we can start discussing the wheres and how tos.

The book is making fast progress so we probably do need to jump on this.

Thanks!
Steve

Ought we do this for our previous (Kickstart?) pre-orders, in which we were to supply NPCs or villages, or something like that? (Senility is encroaching upon me!)

-
*jeep! & God Bless!
--Grandpa Chet
"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports." - George Washington.

MYYM is reading the cartoon balloon over my head - where & how should we submit entries for Rune Lore? Or are entries that were part of that pre-order be incorporated into the Codex, or some other product?

"I don't wanna be remembered as the guy who died because he underestimated the threat posed by a monkey."

One of the hazards of Too Many Hobbies Syndrome (TMHS) from which I suffer. Started out as a comics fan in 1956 or 1957 (you can still find me in the occasional issue of Alter-Ego), got hooked on RPGs in 1977, then church history and geneology in 1990, yoyology in 1995, and finally (I hope!) magic & mentalism in 2000. One of my earliest skills was reading thought balloons (which yours was...many people mistake thought balloons for word balloons; many others mistake balloons for bubbles!) - I currently have a skill level of C (12) in Reading Word Balloons, but only an A (10) in Reading Thought Balloons.

-
*jeep! & God Bless!
--Grandpa Chet
"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports." - George Washington.